Canary Islands Schools Face Heatwave and Calima for Start of Academic Year
Students and staff in the Canary Islands face a challenging start to the school year as a heatwave and Saharan dust trigger renewed concerns over classroom infrastructure.
The new school year in the Canary Islands begins this Wednesday, but students and staff will face challenging weather conditions. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has warned that the return to class will coincide with a heatwave and Saharan dust, known as calima, creating extra difficulties for families and schools.
Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo reports that temperatures will be high across the islands. Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura could see temperatures reach 36°C, while other islands are expected to exceed 34°C, particularly on southern slopes. The calima will be most intense in mid-altitude areas and mountain summits, especially in the south and east.
In addition to the heat, strong winds are expected, particularly on the islands with higher terrain. While temperatures are forecast to drop slightly to 34°C on the coast by Thursday, the dust will likely linger until late afternoon.
These conditions have reignited the debate over school infrastructure in Spain, specifically regarding the lack of air conditioning and the difficulty of maintaining safe classroom environments during increasingly frequent heatwaves.
The weather is expected to shift by the end of the week. Starting Friday, an Atlantic cold front should bring temperatures back to normal. This change will likely bring more clouds and potential rain, particularly in the western islands and Gran Canaria, signaling a possible end to the summer heat.